A walk around Dvůr Králové town before heading to the famous zoo and Safari Park: 4 km
- The zoo and Safari Park in the east Bohemian town of Dvůr Králové are justly famous. It is the second largest (and for many, the best) zoo in the country, featuring a wide range of animals, mostly from the African continent. The trip in specially designed buses through the Safari Park is a highlight. The zoo attracts over 750,000 visitors annually,
- Before heading to the zoo, it is worth strolling around the historic town center, which has the lovely T.G. Masaryk square at its core. The settlement was probably founded in the 12th century as a guard post on the military road to Silesia. At the end of the 14th century, the town became part of the dowry for Bohemian queens – hence its name.
- There are few remains of the original 14th century fortifications, although the striking Šindelářská tower (which leans slightly) is a prominent remnant (map point 4). The Renaissance Old Town Hall, on the TGM square, is probably the most photographed building in the old town.
- From the bus station it is just a 400m walk to the main square, so the walk around the old town is completed very quickly. It is about a 1.5 km walk to the zoo entrance from the old town, but buses can be caught from the far side of the river after crossing the Jana Palacha bridge (map point 5).
- Dvůr Králové has a number of interesting cafés and bistros. Try the Moje druhá bistro (map point 8), especially if travelling through the nearby bus station. Moje druhá is part of a chain of local establishments, which includes an excellent Italian ice cream shop, directly on the main square (map point 3). If visiting the zoo, take a moment to stop at the Safari microbrewery, directly at the zoo.
Note: click ‘Show on map’ above to go to a full screen version directly on the mapy.cz site. This can be used for on line navigation, saved or exported as a GPX file
Directions
- Dvůr Králové is not a large town, so directions are not really needed, especially as there are signposts to the main sights in the old town
- The GREEN hiking trail leads directly to the zoo entrance from the bus station (a 2 km walk)
